Transcription

1 Climate Change Communication Campaign Planning: Using Audience Research to Inform Design Jessica Thompson, Shawn Davis, and Karina Mullen Project description In 2011, more than 280 million people visited US national parks and over 42 million visited national wildlife refuges. Public lands represent some of the most widely visited and revered landscapes in the country. Climate change impacts can be seen in many national parks and national wildlife refuges throughout the country (Bentz et al. 2003; Millar et al. 2004, Moritz et al. 2008; Salazar-Halfmoon 2010) and the phenomenon has been recognized as the greatest challenge ever faced by public land management agencies (Delach and Matson 2010). With nearly a century of experience in environmental communication practice and natural resource interpretation, US National Park Service (USNPS) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) managers recognize the potential for America s public lands to serve as natural learning laboratories and represent a unique opportunity to provide millions of visitors with meaningful, place-based climate change education. The Place-based Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP) was a strategic campaign planning project funded by the National Science Foundation and conducted in partnership with USNPS, USFWS, and the National Parks Conservation Association. The goal of the campaign planning effort was to develop climate change communication tools and resources for interpretive staff at national parks and national wildlife refuges across the country. Our team worked directly with more than 400 USNPS and USFWS employees and partners at 16 national parks and wildlife refuges in five regions across the country (northern Colorado, the Puget Sound in Washington state, the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, Washington, DC, and southern Florida). Campaign planning activities included: (1) a comprehensive literature review of climate change communication research, (2) interviews and surveys with agency managers and front-line staff (35 interviews, 847 surveys), (2) interviews and surveys with members of the target audience park and refuge visitors (359 interviews and 1,481 surveys), (3) five regional workshops, and (4) 15 site visits and focus groups with agency staff. These research activities were also opportunities to assist with institutional capacity and The George Wright Forum, vol. 30, no. 2, pp (2013) The George Wright Society. All rights reserved. (No copyright is claimed for previously published material reprinted herein.) ISSN Please direct all permissions requests to 182 The George Wright Forum vol. 30 no. 2

2 infrastructure-building to provide resources for climate change communication and engagement within both agencies. Theoretical perspectives driving the communication campaign The theoretical framework for this endeavor is based on a combination of social science and education-based theories: (1) place attachment, (2) place-based education, (3) free-choice learning, and (4) norm activation theory (the full theoretical model is detailed in Schweizer, Davis, and Thompson 2013). These four theoretical threads explain that people form bonds to places (Altman and Low 1992), and parks and refuges are no exception. These bonds function by enabling people to develop an intimacy with the land, stimulating an effective learning environment in which to perceive changes to the landscape (Thomashow 2002). In addition to being situated in a particular place, authentic learning also follows the desires and motivations of each individual learner and typically involves discussion with others (Falk and Dierking 2002; Falk 2005; Heimlich and Falk 2009). The place-based communication context facilitates the maintenance and deepening of personal norms for performing pro-social and pro-environmental behaviors necessary to mitigate the impacts of climate change locally. National park and wildlife refuge visitors understanding of climate change is activated through four variables of engagement: (1) problem awareness, (2) ascription of responsibility, (3) perceived outcome efficacy, and (4) one s ability to help. Practical lessons gained from the campaign research Survey and interview results revealed a population of visitors who care deeply about America s public lands and natural landscapes and this audience differs significantly from the broader American public in regards to (1) their knowledge and opinions on climate change, (2) willingness to take mitigating actions, (3) perceptions of climate change impacts, and (4) desire for climate change education, communication and engagement. Results from the surveys show a disparity in staff perceptions of visitors thoughts regarding climate change. For example, only a small fraction (<9%) of park and refuge staff believed that their visitors were very or extremely concerned about climate change whereas subsequent surveys with visitors indicated that a majority of the audience (56%) was very or extremely concerned (see Figure 1). This disconnect illustrates that a lack of knowledge about an organization s target audience often serves as a perceived barrier to discussing controversial issues, like climate change on federal lands. Through focus groups and staff interviews, our team identified the pervasiveness of this misconception, which hindered effective communication planning and prevented staff from engaging visitors in conversations about climate change and local impacts. One NPS interpreter explained: For me, interpreting climate change impacts is like interpreting the Civil War. I hope I never have to do it because I m certain that half the group will be neo-confederate nay-sayers... To segment our target audience (park and refuge visitors), we conducted a k-means cluster analysis. We used the same survey questions and similar audience segments as the Yale Project on Climate Change s (YPCC s) Six Americas studies: alarmed, concerned, cautious, disengaged, doubtful, and dismissive (Maibach, Roser-Renouf, and Leiserowitz 2009). Results indicated that a substantially higher proportion of park and refuge The George Wright Forum vol. 30 no

3 Figure 1. Comparison of staff (n = 789) perceptions of visitor concern regarding climate change and visitors (n = 4,170) reported climate change concerns. Figure 2. National parks and national wildlife refuges Six Americas audience segmentation (adapted with permission from Schweizer et al. 2013). visitors (29%) fall into the alarmed category (see Figure 2) relative to the American public (Leiserowitz et al. 2011). According to the most recent YPCC Six Americas study, 39% of the American public is either alarmed or concerned about climate change (Leiserowitz et al. 2011); therefore, the fact that 50% of park and refuge visitors were grouped in the alarmed and concerned categories suggests that this audience may be more knowledgeable, concerned, and engaged with climate change than the average American. Visitors willingness to change behavior was measured with a single-item indicator. Respondents were asked to respond to the question How willing are you to change your behaviors in this park/refuge to help reduce the impacts of climate change? Response options consisted of extremely willing, very willing, somewhat willing, slightly willing, and not willing (see Figure 3). In addition to concern about climate change and willingness to take mitigating action, the audience research assessed visitors awareness of climate change and its site-specific im- 184 The George Wright Forum vol. 30 no. 2

4 Figure 3. Visitor (n = 4174) willingness to take mitigating actions while visiting the park or refuge. Figure 4. Comparison of agency staff and visitor perceptions of climate change impacts. pacts, as well as their self-reported knowledge about this issue. Visitors were asked several questions including Do you think climate change is happening? and What do you think is the cause of climate change (human, natural, both)? In addition, two questions on the survey measured visitors ability to notice climate change impacts while visiting parks and/or refuges (see Figure 4). Finally, several questions were used to measure visitors desire to learn and how they would like to learn about climate change impacts. Visitors rated their level of agreement with the following statements: I would like to learn more about climate change impacts in our The George Wright Forum vol. 30 no

5 national parks/refuges and I would like to learn more about climate change impacts in this park/refuge. Additionally, in both the interviews and surveys visitors were asked to provide an example of how they would like to discuss climate change or to select all of the communication media in which they would like to learn about climate change. When provided a list of 12 learning methods, survey respondents identified websites as the most preferred method (46%) followed by trailside exhibits (42%) and indoor exhibits (38%). Visitor interviews revealed more scattered interests, with trailside exhibits ranking highest (26%) followed by ranger/interpretive programs (18%) and brochures (16%); a visitor at Kenai Fjords National Park suggested the use of trailside exhibits to [P]oint out the different birds that used to be here or the mile posts where the glacier has been the past 100 years. I don t think you really need to preach at people but show them what s going on. I like subtle. In addition to identifying preferred methods of learning, 78% of surveyed visitors believe informing visitors of actions they can take is particularly salient and important to communicate in parks and refuges. Articulating interest in action-oriented outreach, a visitor at Biscayne National Park explained: I guess the whole thing about climate change is that it feels so overwhelming what am I supposed to do about it? It s easier to do nothing. So saying things that you can do [into outreach] that people feel are do-able [is a good idea]. As recommended by this visitor, it is critical that place-based climate change communication and engagement activities focus on bioregional principles and practices, and identify specific actions that visitors can do today to slow the impact of climate change. Walk-away insights for climate change communication planning Lessons from this multi-methodological audience analysis and communication campaign planning research, led us to suggest three principles for our agency partners to consider as they develop regional climate change communication campaigns: (1) use place as a medium, (2) connect that place to emotional and social meanings through (3) empowering messages about specific actions visitors can do to reduce the impacts of climate change. Based on our research, teams of agency-leads from each region designed a suite of placebased strategic communication actions/activities to deepen their audiences understanding of climate change processes and impacts. For example, four of the specific engagement activities developed during the course of the project included: (1) regional, climate change youth leadership summits with community service and citizen science components, (2) cross-jurisdictional interpretive climate change trails, which included consistent message and signage design throughout the region, (3) mobile media applications and downloads for information about site-based climate change impacts, and (4) changing landscapes-themed communication and interactive repeat photography website. We advocate the development of messages with a systems-based explanation in order to highlight the local changes and impacts observed at each park or refuge and how those impacts are connected to individual decision-making and behavioral choices no matter how 186 The George Wright Forum vol. 30 no. 2

6 far away the visitor lives. Coupling meaningful social interaction with experiential, placebased learning opportunities is a way to foster community and facilitate a deeper understanding of climate change impacts. Case study: Climate change communication in Alaska An example of a climate change communication campaign based on research from the Placebased CCEP is the development and implementation of Making Sense of History: Understanding Landscape Change in Alaska. Colorado State University (CSU) and the Southwest Alaska Network (SWAN) partnered to create this interactive, repeat-photography website based on survey and interview data from the Place-based CCEP and parks research on climate change communication. Through this website, people visiting the parks are able to learn about specific changes happening in the area and what landscapes looked like historically, and personally visit and observe these places in the present. An additional advantage of building a website is enabling people who are interested in the parks, but unable to physically journey to them, to see and explore how the land is changing. To develop an effective climate change communication tool through this website, we incorporated several key findings from our research that correlate with other findings from the field of communication: 1. Visitors generally want to learn about climate science, but prefer to engage with the information by choice and discover without having facts forced upon them (Cone et al. 2011; Kubeck 2011), which confirms the main premises of Falk s free-choice learning theory (Falk 2005):... so combining visual and actual experience, then we come up with our own judgments (visitor at Kenai Fjords National Park, personal communication, June ). 2. Photographs comparing historic landscapes with what visitors now see are powerful tools that leave a lasting emotional impression and encourage visitors to learn more about what they re seeing (Byers 2007): If there was a sign in front of something you could visibly see and you had a before and after picture that shows the changes you can t deny but can physically see (visitor at Kenai Fjords National Park, personal communication, June 23, 2011). 3. Visitors are interested in learning through hands-on activities, particularly if what they are doing is contributing to data collection that will help park scientists but that does not necessarily require days or months of training (Ottinger 2009; Newman et al. 2011), which also confirms the underlying principles of place-based learning theories: Anything that would help our community learn more about what s going on and also help my understanding of what s out there if I m trained that gives me more information. Plus I m a teacher, I don t teach science but it helps me, it empowers me with more information and I can talk to my students about it so that s kind of a trickle down to the community too (visitor at Kenai Fjords National Park, personal communication, June 21, 2011). The George Wright Forum vol. 30 no

7 4. Incorporating technology is essential to engage a diverse audience, even in Alaska where cell phone service and internet accessibility are variable (Newman et al. 2010): I d like to learn through a website, I m always on the internet, even traveling (visitor at Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, personal communication, May 27, 2011). The design incorporates all of these elements into a clean, engaging, and interactive repeat-photography website for visitors of all ages to explore. Images of the parks are the centerpiece of the site and are prominently displayed on each page. Site visitors are encouraged to upload their own photos of the parks that match the location of historic photos to add to the on-line database. They can compare any two photos on the site as well as comment on changes they are observing in their photos and those of other users. Connecting web users to the science climate and otherwise being conducted in the parks was an integral part of the site design. Links to current research projects of park scientists studying coastal change, glaciers, plant communities, and more are readily available, as are photos, short biographies, and videos of scientists in action. As it was important to the development team to include many aspects of science in the parks, not every research project is dedicated to climate science; however, each page shows how climate science is related to most studies being conducted in the parks. Site visitors are provided with resources that encourage them to learn more about climate change and climate science and with links to information on how to get involved with other citizen science programs near their homes. Making Sense of History launched in July Website visitors are invited to take a brief on-line survey to share their opinions to help improve the site design, as well as to better understand if and how it is encouraging visitors to think and learn more about climate change. Based on nationwide interest in repeat photography and citizen science as tools to learn about climate change, we are currently exploring ways to engage with other national parks and protected areas in similar initiatives. Our long-term vision is to enable managers and interpreters of public lands across America to be able to add their location to the website, upload historic photos, and easily create their own repeat-photography citizen science page. References Altman, I., and S.M. Low Place Attachment, Human Behavior and Environment. New York: Plenum Press. Bentz, B. J., et al Climate change and bark beetles of the western United States and Canada: Direct and indirect effects. BioScience 60(8): Byers, A.C An assessment of contemporary glacier fluctuations in Nepal s Khumbu Himal using repeat photography. Himalyan Journal of Sciences 4(6): Cone, J., O.S. Grant, R. Cooper, S. Duncan, J. Greer, B. Malouf, and S. White Hold that Thought! Questioning Five Common Assumptions about Communicating with the Public. Corvallis: Oregon Sea Grant. On-line at onlinepubs/h08005.pdf. Delach, A., and N. Matson Climate Change and Federal Land Management. Washington, DC: Defenders of Wildlife. 188 The George Wright Forum vol. 30 no. 2

Managing the National Park Service in the Information Age Harry Butowsky Introduction In 2008, the National Parks Conservation Association convened the National Parks Second Century Commission, which was

Hitzhusen, 1 Climate Change Education for Faith Based Groups Gregory E. Hitzhusen, MDiv, PhD The Ohio State University; Ohio Interfaith Power and Light Introduction Faith based audiences are one of the

Examining Public Opinion on Climate Change Among Wisconsin College Students and Adults May 2014 Students Elora Leene, Emy Marier and Wes Meives Faculty Mentor Eric Jamelske jamelsem@uwec.edu University

SmithsonianCampaign Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access Leadership Message The Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access enables young learners to explore their interests and collaborate

Mentoring and Coaching Models Peer coaching is a of staff development model you can use to help you and your partners develop and try new strategies and determine what does and does not work by critically

program leader & education advisor handbook 1 Integrating Education in Animal Programs: A Guide to Success for Program Leaders and Education Advisors Introduction This guide has been created for program

21-Tech: Engaging Visitors Using Open-Source Apps by Cecilia Garibay and Keith Ostfeld Cecilia Garibay is Principal of Garibay Group. Keith Ostfeld is Director of Educational Technology at the Children

public support for climate and energy policies in november 2011 Climate Change in the American Mind: Public Support for Climate & Energy Policies in November 2011 Interview dates: October 20, 2011 November

Amplify Conversations to Convert Prospects to Customers B2B Event Marketing Tactics Workbook In this part-guide, part-workbook, get to know the tactics of B2B event marketing and how to make it work for

Water temperature monitoring: Building a foundation for a spatially continuous map of waterbody temperatures on Refuges and neighboring waters in the southeastern United States. Background Water temperature

Table of Contents Section 8: How Children Learn This section provides educators with information about educational theories and objectives and how these apply to a unit of study on the West Eugene Wetlands.

Ninth Street Historic Park Acknowledgements This project was paid for in part by a State Historical Fund grant from the Colorado Historical Society. The contents contained herein do not necessarily reflect

IDENTIFYING PATHS TO SUCCESS: LEARNINGS ON BARRIERS AND DRIVERS TO DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAM 2012 National Town Meeting on DR and Smart Grid Nik Schruder, Evaluation Manager, OPA Overview of OPA and DR Who

THE NEW JERSEY NETWORK TO CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS-NORTH 2015-16 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS In 2007 the Penn Center for Educational Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania and the Educational Information

# 100 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNITY AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. (1) The course explores how communities of place and interest influence our lives and how these different types of communities are related to

Strengthening Leadership Capacity for Effective Management of China s Protected Areas Executive Summary The (CPALAP) is a multi-year initiative launched in 2008 under a partnership between the China State

MIDDLE STATES ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS COMMISSIONS ON ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SERVICE LEARNING PROGRAM OF DISTINCTION V. 2 3624 Market Street 2 West Philadelphia,

1 Identifying and Developing Leaders in House: The LaGuardia Community College Leadership Development Program Raymond J. Carozza, Executive Director, Human Resources Nila Bhaumik, Professional Development

Energy, Environment and Engagement with the Miami Science Museum: Miami-Dade County residents share their views Miami-Dade County residents are concerned about environmental and energy issues; say they

Girls Not Brides Strategy 2014 2016 Background Girls Not Brides was created to help bring an end to child marriage, so that girls can have the opportunity to thrive and become full and equal members of

01 Executive Summary At the end of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, higher education has invested, by a conservative estimate, $5 billion in administrative and enterprise resource planning

Cloud Analytics Where CFOs, CMOs and CIOs Need to Move To IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Analytics and the Speed Advantage Introduction Three recent workplace trends the growth of the mobile revolution, the emergence

Maintained Landscapes in the National Park Service Charlie Pepper and Susan Dolan Spanning nearly seven million acres, maintained landscapes (MLs) are one of the largest and most complex asset categories

G u i d e l i n e s f o r K12 Global C l i m a t e Change Education Adapted by: by the National Wildlife Federation from the Environmental Education Guidelines for Excellence of the North American Association

PAINTER EXECUTIVE SEARCH Position Description Painter Executive Search is supporting the in a search for an experienced to lead a broad regional coalition of Bay Area land conservation agencies and organizations

January 2004 1 Center for Urban Ecology Strategic Plan Science and Service through Partnerships Mission The Center for Urban Ecology is an interdisciplinary team that provides scientific guidance, technical

FACT SHEET Renewable Energy on Regional Power Grids Can Help States Meet Federal Carbon Standards In June 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) used its authority under Section 111(d) of

Trends and Promising Practices in Early Childhood Teacher Education Online: The View from New Zealand Selena Fox New Zealand Tertiary College and ecelearn Chip Donohue University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

The Case for Business Analytics in Midsize Firms Affordable solutions and easy implementation put the transformational power of business analytics within reach of almost any organization Featuring John

S3 Factsheet Are School Level Supports for Teachers and Teacher Collegiality Related to Other School Climate Characteristics and Student Academic Performance? Effective learning conditions for students

1 GREEN CERTIFICATION FOR TOURISM TRAVEL: COMPARING PILOT PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AND NONPARTICIPANTS Laura Anderson University of Vermont Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Burlington,

Running head: FROM IN-PERSON TO ONLINE 1 From In-Person to Online : Designing a Professional Development Experience for Teachers Jennifer N. Pic Project Learning Tree, American Forest Foundation FROM IN-PERSON

Public Opinions, Attitudes and Awareness Regarding Water in Colorado Colorado Water Conservation Board FINAL REPORT Final Report July 22, 2013 Public Opinions, Attitudes and Awareness Regarding Water in

Leadership Development Program Amman Jordan (Four Seasons Hotel) 9-10/5/2010 (2 full days from 9:00 am - 17:00 p.m) Who should attend? Managers and anyone aspiring or geared up to a leadership position

Online courses are approved by the University of California in two steps: Online Course Self-Assessment Form 1. Assessment against International Association for K-12 Online Learning (inacol) course standards.

THE DIVERSITY PRACTICE Authentic Leadership Coaching A new leadership paradigm Carol Campayne, Caroline Harper Jantuah, Lori Shook Of all the personal development and leadership interventions available

National Aeronautics and Space Administration DEVELOP National Program Great Lakes Workshop March 13, 2 0 1 4 What is DEVELOP? Measurements and Predictions Communities DEVELOP addresses environmental and

CHE Competencies Starting in the early 1990s, three national professional organizations the Society for Public Health Education, the American Association for Health Education, and the American Alliance

CNHP s mission is to preserve the natural diversity of life by contributing the essential scientific foundation that leads to lasting conservation of Colorado's biological wealth. Colorado Natural Heritage

Denver Thrives When Our Youth Succeed Afterschool is making a difference in the lives of Denver s youth Who We Are We are a diverse collaborative of stakeholders including the City and County of Denver,